


Tales from the Southern Water Tribe

by punknerdmusings



Series: Labor of My Love [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, He lives in the Southern Water Tribe now, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Ozai had a redemption arc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-22 19:01:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30043266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/punknerdmusings/pseuds/punknerdmusings
Summary: Series of oneshots set in the same universe as No Sweet Innocence!
Relationships: Hakoda/Ozai (Avatar), Ozai (Avatar) & Original Character(s)
Series: Labor of My Love [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2210127
Comments: 3
Kudos: 8





	Tales from the Southern Water Tribe

The wind tugged at his hair, and Ozai tucked his arms around himself tighter. The fur lining his hood brushed his cheeks, and he was grateful that Water Tribe clothes were far warmer than anything in the Fire Nation, otherwise he would be freezing more than he already was. Bato and another one of his rotating cast of guards were keeping a close eye on him as Ozai was walking around, still trying to familiarize himself with the layout of the place. He had, unfortunately, gotten completely turned around and it was starting to get dark. Hakoda was probably done with work and heading home, and he wouldn’t be able to make it back in time. He huffed, his breath fogging up in front of him.

“You two are assholes, you know.” Ozai looked over his left shoulder at Bato. “You could be helping me out here.”

“Not our job.”

Ozai rolled his eyes as he looked forward again, narrowing his eyes as tried to figure out how to get back to his and Hakoda’s igloo. He started off in a direction, hoping it was the right one, when he was suddenly slammed into from the right, causing him to stagger and slip on the ice. He landed with a groan, sitting up to see what had hit him.

“Sorry! I didn’t see you there, mister.” A girl was getting up and brushing snow off her parka. “My name is Kiarra, what’s yours?”

“Ozai.” He stood, preparing for the recognition and then fear to wash over her face, before she drew away and-

“Oh! You’re the one that Chief Hakoda loves!” She grinned. “My mom says that you’re scary, but I don’t really see it.”

Ozai blinked at her, confused, standing with a grunt. He wasn’t as young as he used to be, and the ice was hard, dammit.

“You’re not afraid of me?” She was older than Kiyi, he thought, by a good few years. But Kiarra still reminded him of his youngest daughter, all smiles and no fear.

“Not at all! Mom says a buncha mean things about you, though, and I don’t like it.” She crossed her arms. “But you haven’t even done anything to us!”

Ozai couldn’t hold back a snort at that. “You should listen to your mother, girl.”

Kiarra shook her head. “Chief Hakoda wouldn’t love someone who was going to hurt us.”

Ozai looks back down at her, his eyebrows furrowing. “So you trust me?”

She nodded, grinning. “I do! Anyways, I gotta run and meet my cousins. I’ll see you around!” Kiarra ran off, leaving Ozai standing there with slow realization dawning over him that not quite everyone in the tribe hated him.

**

******

**

He did eventually make it back to their igloo, no thanks to his guards, to find Hakoda already having started cooking dinner for the both of them.

“Sorry for not being here when you got home. I wanted to do some exploring.” Ozai slipped out of his parka and gloves, running a hand through the bottom part of his hair. Hakoda looked up from where he was stirring, smiling softly.

“Wasn’t too worried. Bato would find me if there was actually an issue.”

Ozai sat next to Hakoda, who wrapped his arm around him. His other hand kept stirring the stew, filling the air with the scent of Fire Nation spices.

“You added some heat, I see.”

“Just for you, of course.” Hakoda pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek, Ozai turning his head to catch Hakoda’s lips before the other had to look at the pot again.

“How was work?”

“Long and boring. But it was nice knowing I’d get to see you after it.”

He smiled faintly as Hakoda leaned his head on Ozai’s shoulder. Out of the two of them, Hakoda was far more open with his affection, although there were times Ozai got a little clingy and didn’t want to let go. But he reserved those moments for private, like now, while Hakoda would do stuff like this when the two were simply walking down the street.

“A kid ran into me. She wasn’t afraid of me when she found out who I was.”

“Let me guess, Kiarra?”

“How’d you know?”

“Her mom works on the council, I’ve talked with her a couple of times. I swear, that kid’s not afraid of anything. They moved from the Northern Water Tribe.”

“So she has less reason to be afraid of the Fire Nation.”

“Probably what it is.” Hakoda dished out their dinner, Ozai taking the offered bowl gratefully. He started eating as his boyfriend went and gave the two guards their share. It was a habit both of them had formed not long after Ozai had arrived, whoever was on duty would get fed when Ozai was. He had felt awkward eating lunch in front of two stoic people watching him, so one day he just plopped food down in front of them as well without an explanation. It had taken them a few days to trust the food, but Hakoda also eating and offering it helped in that regard.

“I still can’t believe you’re here.”

“Neither can I.” They shifted closer to one another, pressing against each other, before finishing their meal and turning in for the night.

**

******

**

Kiarra found him again the next day. He had wandered a little away from the tents and igloos, intent on running through his katas without getting dirty looks. And for whatever reason, she had caught and followed him, babbling his ear off with a train of thought so fast he could barely follow it. He let it wash over him as he began his workout, Kiarra talking the whole way through about her cousins and how she was being trained by Katara in healing and fighting and how the Southern Water Tribe was so much better than the Northern. That last point Ozai privately agreed with, but he suspected it was for a vastly different reason than this girl’s.

“Is that what firebending looks like?” She was sitting on a short wall of snow, the icy ocean lapping the edge of the ice not too far from them.

“It is. Just without the fire.”

“My cousin is a waterbender, and he says he’d hate to lose his bending. He says it’s like another limb.”

Ozai nodded, finishing his practice with a calming breath and watching out of the corner of his eye as the younger guard visibly relaxed. The older one’s veneer of calm was easy for Ozai to see through, he had seen too many fighters in that catlike relaxed-but-ready stance. He had often taken it himself, it was more useful than being obviously ready for a fight.

“Are you going back into town now?”

“I think I’ll stay out here a little longer.” Ozai leaned against the wall Kiarra was sitting on, watching as the sun creeped higher in the sky.

“If you want, you can watch the waterbenders train! I do, before Katara has me practice fighting.”

“They do it here?”

“Yeah!”

That explained the smoothness of the ice, and the proximity to open water. He might as well watch, he had nothing better to do. He listened to Kiarra’s incessant chatter as they waited, Katara shooting him a look when she arrived. Ozai just raised an eyebrow; what did she seriously expect him to do? Without a weapon he wasn’t much of a threat, and he was only allowed one if he was sparring with Hakoda. Granted, she also had students to keep an eye on. Kiarra started cheering a couple of them on, and Ozai noted with amusement that none of them were really that skilled in control. A firebender half their age could show them up in that department. He could even hear the ice cracking when one of them got frustrated.

In hindsight, he shouldn’t have been surprised when he was sent into the icy water, that one waterbender having weakened the ice he was standing on. Ozai gasped from the shock, gulping down air as he started to shiver, his clothing soaking through in an instant. He was at least glad that he had enough sense to catch himself with his arms, although he could feel how unstable the ice was. Pulling himself up wound be a very bad idea.

Katara was soon pulling him out of the water, depositing him far away from the hole. She gathered the water out of his clothes and the ends of his hair, but the damage was done. He couldn’t stop shivering, the unshakeable chill that had never left him since the Avatar had taken his bending bleeding out into every part of him. He closed his eyes, trying to focus, to relax his clenched muscles, suppress the shivering, and managed to succeed in fits and bursts.

“You should go home, Ozai.” Katara’s voice was right next to him, words suggesting but her tone demanding it. “I’ll go tell my dad what happened, he’ll be back soon.”

Ozai took another moment before pushing himself to his feet, faintly hearing Kiarra in the background.

“I’m sort of glad it wasn’t me, I can’t swim.”

**

******

**

Hakoda stepped into the igloo, his boyfriend wrapped in a blanket and huddled inches in front of the fire. Ozai was blocking the heat from his scar, face slightly creased in pain.

“You should sit further back so you don't burn your face.” Hakoda crouched next to him, noting how cold Ozai’s skin still felt, the small amount that was exposed. He felt worry bubble up as he held him close, Ozai just burying his head in Hakoda’s chest.

“‘M cold.” A violent shiver went through his entire body, and Hakoda very carefully pulled him a little farther from the flames.

“I know. But I’m here to help.” He unwrapped one side of the blanket, slipping under it and wrapping it around both of them. Ozai made only the smallest noise of protest at the cold rushing in, before burrowing into Hakoda’s warm body. He held his boyfriend close, slowly warming him up, talking to him to keep entertained. Working through his work and whatnot.

When Ozai finally poked his head back up, he looked tired.

“I’m hungry.”

“I’ll figure food out soon.”

Ozai nodded, still pressed into Hakoda. “Katara saved my ass. Pulled me out and then got the water off me.”

“She told me. I’m glad she was there.”

“Would have been better if I still had my bending.” Ozai scowled, staring into the flames.

Hakoda chuckled, kissing his cheek. “You probably never would have met me then.”

“I would have found a way.”

Hakoda just shook his head, taking a piece of Ozai’s hair to braid while they relaxed.

**

******

**

Kiarra didn’t understand why everyone was so afraid of Chief Hakoda’s boyfriend. He was nice to her, and like she had said to Ozai a couple days ago, the chief would never love someone who put their tribe in danger. Sure, he looked scary, but so did Fire Lord Zuko and he was the best! Her mom had said something about how Ozai was a horrible man, and that’s why they had to watch him so closely, but nobody would tell her what. She wasn’t a kid, she was eleven and very much able to handle the truth. It’s like the adults forgot that she remembered the war. She hadn’t been that young when the Siege of the North happened.

So if nobody would tell her what Ozai had done wrong, she was determined to be his friend. Nobody else was making the effort, not even his guards, so she guessed it fell to her. And today she had brought hair ties. His hair was nice and long, and she was determined to try out some fun hairstyles on him. Setting off, she went to look for her new friend.

She found him at the sparring area, watching the ocean. So she hopped up on the wall and gave him her signature grin.

“Hi!”

“Hello, child.” Ozai’s voice was clipped, his posture tense, but she ignored it.

“Can I do your hair?”

He looked down at her, surprised. “Why would you want to do that?”

“I like practicing different hairstyles, but nobody ever lets me practice on them.”

“You have longer hair than any other guy here! Plus, you’re my friend.”

Ozai’s eyes narrowed. “Be careful who you make your friends, little girl. Not everybody is kind.”

Kiarra’s eyes drifted to the scar tissue on the right side of Ozai’s face. Flames danced in her mind as her people screamed, terrified when the moon turned blood red before disappearing entirely. “I know.”

“Stop staring.”

She looked away at that, the wind gently tugging at her hair. “I think you’d look nice with some of the styles.”

There was a moment of silence before Ozai replied.

“Do you think Chief Hakoda would like me in one of these hairstyles?”

“I think he’d love it!”

Ozai settled on the ice in a lotus position. “Then go right ahead.”

Kiarra grinned, running behind him and starting in on one of the styles she had been having trouble with for a while. Her chest swelled with joy, glad she was able to be Ozai’s friend.

**

******

**

Ozai focused on the girl’s hands manipulating his hair, on the way it felt. He didn’t want to think about the nightmare he had woken up from last night, shaking, one hand flying up to his face to feel it and make sure he was okay. He had pulled on clothes and slipped out of their igloo, into the predawn air, the guard’s curses on how it was too early to be moving going ignored.

He hated that nightmare. The one of the last coherent day he had spent in a cell, of flames licking his face and burning into him. Hakoda didn’t even know he had it, Ozai had managed to keep it hidden for the time being.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“You just did,” he growled. He didn’t let on that her words were comforting, reminding him where he was.

“An actual question.”

“What is it?”

“Where did you get your scar?”

Ozai’s eyes slid shut as he took in a shaky breath. He was not breaking down in front of the second (or third, depending on how you counted Bato) member of the Southern Water Tribe to be kind to him.

“Someone was rightfully angry at me. And he took that anger too far.”

“That makes sense.” One last bit of his hair was tied up, and Kiarra stepped back, admiring her handiwork. “We should go show this to Chief Hakoda!”

He wished he could shift gears as swiftly as the child could. Fire still crackled in the back of his mind as he was tugged off to the building his boyfriend worked in. He ignored it as the child pulled him right to Hakoda’s office, the other man looking up to see who had barged in unannounced. A soft smile spread over his face when he saw Ozai.

“Well hello there, handsome.”

Ozai smirked, shaking his arm free of the girl’s grip. “I know I am. Keep laying it on, and thick.”

Hakoda laughed, standing and rounding the desk. A hand drifted to the braids woven into Ozai’s hair, with love and care, Ozai still jumping ever so slightly when Hakoda’s feather-light touch landed on his right side.

“You did a good job, Kiarra.” Hakoda gave her a knowing smile, and she beamed right back. “Now, your mother was looking for you, so I suggest you run along and find her.”

“Will do, Chief Hakoda!” She sprinted out, leaving the two men as alone as they got. Ozai was hyperaware of the two sets of eyes staring into his back, even without looking behind him. But he let Hakoda drape his arms over his shoulders, still giving him that soft smile.

“You really do look good, Ozai.”

“I appreciate it.” Ozai’s hands went up to grip Hakoda’s forearms, and he closed his eyes, bracing himself.

“What’s up?”

“Kid brought shit up.” He didn’t like elaborating further outside of their igloo. Not like the guards didn’t already know the details of what had happened to him. Why he was jumpy when people unexpectedly touched his right side, what a shortening of his temper typically meant, why his guards were explicitly instructed to stay at least ten feet away at all times. Not far enough to give him a head start, but not close enough for him to feel vulnerable.

“Do you want me to talk to her later?”

Ozai shook his head. “Not her fault. But can I stay here for a while?”

“Of course.” Hakoda pulled away, and Ozai opened his eyes to drape himself in the chair provided specifically for him. It was tucked away in a corner while still giving him a full view of Hakoda and the rest of the office. He quite liked it, if he was being honest, because he got to admire his boyfriend from the side. Hakoda’s hair pulled back into a perfect wolf tail, the only strays intentionally done in braids capped off with beads. Ozai smiled as his eyes settled on the bright, metallic red that ended off a sloppy braid. He had done that on the way to the Southern Water Tribe, and Hakoda had yet to remove it. It filled Ozai with a warmth, knowing how much his boyfriend cared.

“Let me finish up here, and then maybe we head home early?”

“That sounds wonderful.”

**

******

**

Kiarra was showing off to him when it happened. One minute, she was dancing on the wall, and the next was pierced by her shriek when she slipped and fell into the ocean. Ozai froze for a second, whipping his head around to stare at his guards for a heartbeat.

They stared right back, impassively. This was up to him. He stripped down to just his shirt and pants, sprinted over to a taken aback guard to grab his knife, before sprinting back to the edge and diving in.

The cold was so much worse this time as he tried to fight the gasp. He could see Kiarra sinking, fear and yet complete trust in her eyes as she stared up at him. He managed to grab her, tug off her coat so they weren’t weighed down, before swimming back up, his lungs burning and numbness creeping up his limbs. And right when he should have surfaced, he hit ice. He spun the knife, holding it point-up, and thrust with all his strength, again and again, feeling his strikes grow weaker and weaker until he had a hole big enough to surface them both through. He gasped, unable to control his chattering teeth as he hauled them both onto the ice.

He wasn’t sure where the people had come from, waterbenders pulling the moisture from their clothes, people pulling Kiarra from his arms and wrapping her up, shoving him father and farther back. Ozai blearily looked up at her, watching as his own coat was draped over her, and staggered up to standing. He was mildly surprised he was able to, his legs had lost all feeling at this point.

There wasn’t much time for him to marvel at this supposed feat, however, because the guard he had borrowed the knife from came up to him and roughly snatched it back, before tying his hands together and shoving him off in a direction. Ozai stumbled, going down to his knees, trying to focus. He was already starting to ache from the uncontrollable shivering his entire body was subject to.

“Get up. We’re taking you to Hakoda.”

Hakoda would be able to help. Ozai wobbled up to an unsteady standing position, setting off for where Hakoda worked.

**

******

**

Hakoda looked up when his shivering boyfriend stumbled in, hands tied in front of him. He furrowed his brow, standing and rounding his desk to wrap Ozai in his own coat.

“What’s going on?”

“He stole my knife.”

Hakoda held Ozai close, who only seemed to be vaguely aware of what was going on in his efforts to warm up. He fixed his gaze on the other guard. “Full story, Pulaq. Now.”

Pulaq sighed. “Kiarra fell in the water and he stole my knife.”

“So he saved someone and you tied him up?”

“He did steal Satak’s knife.”

“And what did he use it for?”

“Broke the ice with it.”

Hakoda sighed, bundling Ozai into his arms. “I’m relieving you of duty until your next shift. Bato and I will be more than enough now.”

Satak and Pulaq shrugged, heading out. Hakoda snagged his second and went home, stoking the fire and wrapping a freezing Ozai up in blankets. When he sat down next to him, Ozai clung to him, still shivering now and then, and Hakoda held him close, worry etched on his face.

“You really love him, huh.”

“I do.”

Hakoda looked up at Bato, locking eyes.

“I’ll give the guards some more training on what is and isn’t acceptable.”

“Thank you.”

“And we’re getting him a knife. For safety purposes.”

Hakoda chuckled, holding Ozai close. “Glad to see you’re warming up to him.”

Bato looked away. “He saved a kid, Hakoda. He’s less of an asshole nowadays, even I can see that.”

“Exactly.”

Hakoda watched his best friend settle down, watching Ozai. “I hope he doesn’t get sick.”

“He’ll be fine.” Hakoda brushed some of Ozai’s hair out of his face, holding him close.

“Hakoda, I know how long it took him to recover last time. And that wasn’t nearly as bad.”

“He’ll be fine.” Hakoda’s voice rose, and he glared at Bato. “I’m not losing another partner.”

Bato stared back, before nodding.

**

******

**

The next time Ozai stepped out of the igloo, a small body rocketed into him. He threw his arms out for balance, blinking, before realizing who it was.

“You saved my life.”

“Couldn’t let my friend drown, now could I?”

The smile Kiarra gave him warmed him far more than the soup and fire he had been treated to. And if the tribe was a little less frosty, he didn’t mind.


End file.
